When Trust for Nature  first considered turning Ned's Corner - a 30,000 hectare sheep and cattle station - into a conservation reserve, the scale of the task was daunting. But five years on, with support from the National Reserve System Program, private donors and the local community, Ned's Corner Station is the largest privately-owned reserve in Victoria.

Ned's Corner stretches along the River Murray west of Mildura, covering banks fringed with river red gums and sweeping saltbush plains. Once part of the Kidman pastoral empire, Ned's has been used largely for sheep and cattle grazing since the 1850s. The property is a mosaic of rare landforms and threatened ecosystems, but like much of the Murray Darling Basin it is under threat from salinity, erosion and water scarcity.

Its purchase secured a 35-kilometre habitat corridor, which is home to several nationally-threatened species, including the Southern Bell Frog and the Regent Parrot.

Ned's Corner is valuable for more than just its environmental features - it has been a key part of life in the Mallee for more than a century and is still a favourite spot for campers, fishermen and bushwalkers.

Since buying the property, Trust for Nature has removed domestic stock, developed a GIS-based rabbit management plan and worked closely with the Victorian Government and the Mallee Catchment Management Authority to control erosion along the riverbank. Access tracks have been rationalised to enable regrowth in some areas.

Community involvement has been an important part of the process. Trust for Nature's Conservation Manager, Dr Chris Williams, says they worked hard from the start to balance the needs of recreational users and neighbouring farmers with the needs of the environment. To address these concerns Trust for Nature had an open day soon after settlement.

"We had people there from the Murray Darling Basin Commission and some of the local Traditional Owners came along to speak," Chris says. "We made sure everyone had their say so the whole community was involved."

Recreational users have been consulted to ensure there is still plenty of access to the public river frontage reserves, a key feature of the Murray River on the Victorian side. A stakeholder workshop held in the old woolshed in 2003 helped establish a good rapport between Trust for Nature and the community.

Chris says the land is already looking healthier and Ned's is a key part of local life.

Director of National Parks
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
+61 (0)2 6274 1111 ABN

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